Deepfake: A visionary tech-thriller about AI, lies and deception
The Canadian series Deepfake (L'Indétectable), produced by Sphere Media, has been making waves internationally after its nomination for a Golden Nymph award at this year’s Monte-Carlo TV Festival. The techno-thriller, created by Annie Piérard, Bernard Dansereau, and Étienne Piérard-Dansereau, explores the dangerous implications of undetectable deepfake technology through the eyes of a young woman on a mission to uncover the truth about her mother. The series confronts a crucial question: when you can’t believe your eyes and ears, who – or what – can you trust?
Twenty-five-year-old Stephanie’s life is overturned when a compromising video of her mother goes viral. Stephanie believes the video, which wrecked her mother’s political career and hurt her influential family, is a fake – despite expert consensus that it’s genuine. But who created the fake, and why? Though it goes against everything in her character, Stephanie gets hired under a false identity by a start-up that she suspects of having the tech know-how to create undetectable deepfakes. Drawn into a dangerous conspiracy with international repercussions, Stephanie discovers that the truth isn’t what she thought, and that perfect lies come at a high price.
In this exclusive interview with the show's creators TVBIZZ Magazine delves into the real-life inspiration for the plot, the implications of artificial intelligence (AI) in today's world but also on the deeply personal and human aspect of the story. The show's producer Josée Vallée and actor Kevin Houle who plays the role of Dominique also talked to international journalists at the Festival, discussing the show’s timely themes, the challenges of keeping up with rapidly evolving AI, and the human drama at the heart of this gripping narrative.
A Young Protagonist in a World of Lies
The series follows a 25-year-old protagonist whose mother becomes the victim of a deepfake video. The creators explained why they chose a young, inexperienced character to lead the story. "As soon as we started to work on deepfake, the theme of lies and truth was obvious," said Bernard Dansereau. "So we wanted to build the human aspect of the story around lies and truth. Our main protagonist, it was fun to have someone who is fresh out of the water. She's shy. She has nothing like a police training. She has no aptitude like that. So to take someone like that and give her a journey where she will learn that she's not who she thought she was. There are some lies even in the image that she has of herself. So she will go very far, lying herself to become sort of a spy to uncover the truth."
Annie and Étienne added: "There is also the fact that the person who is watching the video knows if it's a deepfake or not. So it took us someone who didn’t know. Our main character doesn't know if the video is a deepfake or not, she's in this grey zone, does she believe her mother or not?"
The choice of an ordinary person rather than a detective or journalist was deliberate. "It's a part of the fun. Would you have the gut to do what she does?" Bernard remarked. "If it's a policeman, you're not expecting the policeman to have some training. But if she's a girl like you, as an audience, would you do what she does? I think she gains our admiration because she has gut. She goes very far. And she was not trained to do that."
Inspired by Real-World Events
The series draws inspiration from real cases, including a deepfake scandal during an election in Slovakia. "Yes, that's one of the stories that inspired some of this," said Étienne. "It was an election in Slovakia where there was an audio deepfake two days before the election. That was a period of blackout. There was no press. One candidate who was more pro-Putin ended up winning the election. And it said that maybe the deepfake had the effect of turning the tide. It switched the results. I can't be sure that it was that." Bernard added: "We had already at this moment our plot involved an election. But that confirmed us. You know, we're on the good track. It happened. In reality, that was a nice anchor."
Beyond politics, the series also examines deepfakes in personal and judicial contexts. "If you're going to make a show about a deepfake, what should you talk? So the obvious one is changing the result of an election," Bernard explained. "And then we go into a more sophisticated plot that involves geopolitical tension between an autocratic regime and a democratic regime. And what role the ability of making some undetectable deepfake could play if an autocratic regime has this weapon in its toolbox. So we go there. And we end the series by a more personal case. But for that you have to wait for the last scene in the generic where you see what it could change in a trial, in a judiciary trial."
A Techno-Thriller with Human Depth
The series blends thriller, drama, and sci-fi elements. "It's mainly a techno-thriller, I would say," said Bernard. "Our last series were pure thriller. On this one, we wanted to have more of the human aspect. If you take the first episode, it's a lot more about the human, our main character's family, and the way that the politicians react when there's a deepfake. The more you go to the end of the series, naturally, the last episode is a lot about a real thriller with some bang-bang."
Étienne noted the sci-fi angle: "The show is also a bit in the science fiction realm, because we have this technology of the undetectable deepfake that doesn't exist yet, but it's now very close, closer every day."
A Race Against Time in Production
Producer Josée Vallée revealed the challenges of bringing such a timely story to life.
"Actually, it's a bit funny because the creators started to think about this idea two years ago," she said. "At the beginning, the goal was to do an international co-production with France. But we were not able to sell it to anybody in France. Because I think they were a bit afraid about all the Syrian and Arab situation. And also, I think, afraid they didn’t ensure how the European public would react. So we decided to do it just for Quebec."
The team worked under tight deadlines to keep the story relevant. "We got our green light in March 2024. And we aired the show March 2025. And nothing was written before. We put pressure on the broadcaster to make sure that we... Because the technology is changing so much. So we made pressure to the broadcaster to make sure that we're doing it very fast."
AI: A Scary but Inevitable Force
Both Vallée and actor Kevin Houle shared their concerns about AI’s impact on society and the entertainment industry. "I think it's scary," Vallée admitted. "We need to make sure that we have regulation. Right now, the governments are doing not a lot. I know that the actor union and the writers in Quebec just signed a petition about making sure that we have boundaries about AI. But still, it's very scary. And we work with experts on our show to do some deepfake. And we use like 10% of what they can do. So it's scary when we know what they can do with it."
Houle, who plays a morally ambiguous tech CEO, acknowledged the inevitability of AI’s rise. "We won’t be able to stop it. It's inevitable. We'll have to use it. Obviously, we'll try to put barriers, try to legislate. But I see that the next 10 years won't be the same as the last 10."
A Story of Doubt and Identity
At its core, Deepfake is a story about trust and self-discovery. "It's also a quest for her of finding her own identity," Vallée said of the protagonist. "Her parents are accountants. Her mother is a politician. She's the black sheep. And when she's meeting with Kevin, she changes her identity. In a way, she did her own deepfake. And in the end, she will find the truth about if her mother is lying or not. She's not sure. But she will also find who she is, really."
Houle’s character adds another layer of tension. "My character is really trying to make his company work," he said. "I'm not the tech guy. I'm the CEO. I make sure that the funding... It takes a lot of funding. It takes a lot of resources. It's a lot of stress. So, in fact, Sophie's character will find herself in my company's problems."
Looking Ahead
While Deepfake is a self-contained story, the creators are already working on new projects. "It's a closed (arch)," Vallée confirmed. "We're working on something else. But I'm not afraid, because those creators are like visionaries. So I'm sure they're going to find the next scenario."
With its gripping narrative and timely themes, Deepfake stands as a cautionary tale about the dangers of unchecked technology—and a testament to the power of human resilience in the face of deception.
Deepfake is currently available on Radio-Canada’s platform (ICI Télé), with international distribution handled by Sphere Abacus.
In this exclusive interview with the show's creators TVBIZZ Magazine delves into the real-life inspiration for the plot, the implications of artificial intelligence (AI) in today's world but also on the deeply personal and human aspect of the story. The show's producer Josée Vallée and actor Kevin Houle who plays the role of Dominique also talked to international journalists at the Festival, discussing the show’s timely themes, the challenges of keeping up with rapidly evolving AI, and the human drama at the heart of this gripping narrative.
A Young Protagonist in a World of Lies
The series follows a 25-year-old protagonist whose mother becomes the victim of a deepfake video. The creators explained why they chose a young, inexperienced character to lead the story. "As soon as we started to work on deepfake, the theme of lies and truth was obvious," said Bernard Dansereau. "So we wanted to build the human aspect of the story around lies and truth. Our main protagonist, it was fun to have someone who is fresh out of the water. She's shy. She has nothing like a police training. She has no aptitude like that. So to take someone like that and give her a journey where she will learn that she's not who she thought she was. There are some lies even in the image that she has of herself. So she will go very far, lying herself to become sort of a spy to uncover the truth."
Annie and Étienne added: "There is also the fact that the person who is watching the video knows if it's a deepfake or not. So it took us someone who didn’t know. Our main character doesn't know if the video is a deepfake or not, she's in this grey zone, does she believe her mother or not?"
The choice of an ordinary person rather than a detective or journalist was deliberate. "It's a part of the fun. Would you have the gut to do what she does?" Bernard remarked. "If it's a policeman, you're not expecting the policeman to have some training. But if she's a girl like you, as an audience, would you do what she does? I think she gains our admiration because she has gut. She goes very far. And she was not trained to do that."
Inspired by Real-World Events
The series draws inspiration from real cases, including a deepfake scandal during an election in Slovakia. "Yes, that's one of the stories that inspired some of this," said Étienne. "It was an election in Slovakia where there was an audio deepfake two days before the election. That was a period of blackout. There was no press. One candidate who was more pro-Putin ended up winning the election. And it said that maybe the deepfake had the effect of turning the tide. It switched the results. I can't be sure that it was that." Bernard added: "We had already at this moment our plot involved an election. But that confirmed us. You know, we're on the good track. It happened. In reality, that was a nice anchor."
Beyond politics, the series also examines deepfakes in personal and judicial contexts. "If you're going to make a show about a deepfake, what should you talk? So the obvious one is changing the result of an election," Bernard explained. "And then we go into a more sophisticated plot that involves geopolitical tension between an autocratic regime and a democratic regime. And what role the ability of making some undetectable deepfake could play if an autocratic regime has this weapon in its toolbox. So we go there. And we end the series by a more personal case. But for that you have to wait for the last scene in the generic where you see what it could change in a trial, in a judiciary trial."
A Techno-Thriller with Human Depth
The series blends thriller, drama, and sci-fi elements. "It's mainly a techno-thriller, I would say," said Bernard. "Our last series were pure thriller. On this one, we wanted to have more of the human aspect. If you take the first episode, it's a lot more about the human, our main character's family, and the way that the politicians react when there's a deepfake. The more you go to the end of the series, naturally, the last episode is a lot about a real thriller with some bang-bang."
Kevin Houle
Étienne noted the sci-fi angle: "The show is also a bit in the science fiction realm, because we have this technology of the undetectable deepfake that doesn't exist yet, but it's now very close, closer every day."
A Race Against Time in Production
Producer Josée Vallée revealed the challenges of bringing such a timely story to life.
"Actually, it's a bit funny because the creators started to think about this idea two years ago," she said. "At the beginning, the goal was to do an international co-production with France. But we were not able to sell it to anybody in France. Because I think they were a bit afraid about all the Syrian and Arab situation. And also, I think, afraid they didn’t ensure how the European public would react. So we decided to do it just for Quebec."
The team worked under tight deadlines to keep the story relevant. "We got our green light in March 2024. And we aired the show March 2025. And nothing was written before. We put pressure on the broadcaster to make sure that we... Because the technology is changing so much. So we made pressure to the broadcaster to make sure that we're doing it very fast."
AI: A Scary but Inevitable Force
Both Vallée and actor Kevin Houle shared their concerns about AI’s impact on society and the entertainment industry. "I think it's scary," Vallée admitted. "We need to make sure that we have regulation. Right now, the governments are doing not a lot. I know that the actor union and the writers in Quebec just signed a petition about making sure that we have boundaries about AI. But still, it's very scary. And we work with experts on our show to do some deepfake. And we use like 10% of what they can do. So it's scary when we know what they can do with it."
Houle, who plays a morally ambiguous tech CEO, acknowledged the inevitability of AI’s rise. "We won’t be able to stop it. It's inevitable. We'll have to use it. Obviously, we'll try to put barriers, try to legislate. But I see that the next 10 years won't be the same as the last 10."
A Story of Doubt and Identity
At its core, Deepfake is a story about trust and self-discovery. "It's also a quest for her of finding her own identity," Vallée said of the protagonist. "Her parents are accountants. Her mother is a politician. She's the black sheep. And when she's meeting with Kevin, she changes her identity. In a way, she did her own deepfake. And in the end, she will find the truth about if her mother is lying or not. She's not sure. But she will also find who she is, really."
Houle’s character adds another layer of tension. "My character is really trying to make his company work," he said. "I'm not the tech guy. I'm the CEO. I make sure that the funding... It takes a lot of funding. It takes a lot of resources. It's a lot of stress. So, in fact, Sophie's character will find herself in my company's problems."
Looking Ahead
While Deepfake is a self-contained story, the creators are already working on new projects. "It's a closed (arch)," Vallée confirmed. "We're working on something else. But I'm not afraid, because those creators are like visionaries. So I'm sure they're going to find the next scenario."
With its gripping narrative and timely themes, Deepfake stands as a cautionary tale about the dangers of unchecked technology—and a testament to the power of human resilience in the face of deception.
Deepfake is currently available on Radio-Canada’s platform (ICI Télé), with international distribution handled by Sphere Abacus.
